Kids targeted in arson crackdown

Northern fire authorities will direct anti-arson messages at children, as part of a crackdown on the high number of deliberately lit fires this season.

In the Kimberley, several people have already been charged or prosecuted this season for lighting fires near Broome, Halls Creek and Kununurra.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) and police are meeting schools and parents across the north-west, pointing out early warning signs of arson and showing children how evidence is used to catch arsonists.

FESA's Lee Vallance says sometimes the children are shown pictures of burns to help demonstrate the potential harm fires cause.

"We can go around [and] talk about the consequences and we have a few examples of children around Broome that have been badly burnt and injured by fire," he said.

"It usually ends up that [it takes] one or two visits from our staff and talking with the parents and the children and working together ... to sort of eliminate the fire lighting."